Russia Ends Peacekeeping in Nagorno-Karabakh as Region Dissolves
5:19 PM EDT, April 17, 2024
Russian forces have begun their withdrawal from Nagorno-Karabakh, following their deployment in the former Armenian enclave for what was termed a peacekeeping mission.
Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced the Kremlin's decision to pull back, as the independent Russian news outlet Meduza reported.
By Tuesday, Azerbaijani media had already covered the conclusion of Russia's mission in the area. Meduza noted that reports indicated that the withdrawal of Russian troops had been in progress for several days.
Since 1994, Nagorno-Karabakh has experienced a tenuous peace, periodically disrupted by skirmishes. This cycle was drastically altered in September 2020 when Azerbaijan sought to reclaim the separatist region. Supported by Turkey, Azerbaijan made significant advances and territorial gains over six weeks of conflict. This culminated in the signing of an Armenian-Azerbaijani-Russian peace agreement overnight on November 9-10, 2020.
As part of the agreement, a ceasefire was established, and Russian forces, described as peacekeepers and numbering around 2,000, were stationed in the contested area for a minimum of five years.
End of the Enclave
On September 19-20, 2023, Azerbaijan launched a surprise military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh, catching the Armenian side off-guard. Subsequently, the region came under the control of Azerbaijani forces, and the authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh announced the dissolution of the unrecognized republic, effective January 1, 2024.
By the end of September, nearly all inhabitants had vacated the separatist region, which Yerevan authorities had previously estimated to have a population of around 120,000.
